This is my first thread, I'm new here. If this is not allowed in this section, please let me know. But I am attempting to get a home gym built and would like some opinions on certain equipment if anyone can offer some help?

Powerblocks are awesome. I've had a set for about 20 years now. The only real issue with them is the square design. You have to be cautious about how you set them down because the corners can damage the floor. This is especially an issue if you are using them while lying on a bench or something. Otherwise they work great.

I have a set of Powerblocks, and CAP barbell / plates. I'm not sure I've used enough equipment to really say much about either, except that I never found anything to not like about them. Maybe a little bit clumsier than traditional dumb bells, but it's a minor gripe. Just always always make sure that the retainer pin is fully locked in, before you start doing anything with them.

Bar-wise, some people have very strong preferences about what they like, in terms of bar knurling, so you might want to check that out, if you have those preferences.

And I'd get a cage, if you have that in the budget. There's a lot you can do with a cage, and the rails will allow you to do exercises that you couldn't otherwise perform safely.

Lifting equipment, generally, I've seen at either steep discount or next to no discount. Treadmills are a different story. I see people practically (sometimes literally) giving those things away, all the time. I think I'd probably go that route, if you're looking to minimize expense, unless there's some feature that you really really want. If money's not an object, I find self-powered treadmills provide a much more natural running experience than powered treadmills.

Okay, that is great, thank you for your the advice, both of you! I like the idea of getting a cage. Have you seen/know about those cages that will fold up against your wall to save room? I have been wondering about one of those for a while now but I haven't had much time to research and see if they are any good. I really love the concept and idea of them because I just don't have a ton of room to work in my home gym. I'll check those out a little more and see what I can find.

I'm not too worried about the budget for my treadmill so I think I am going to go with that NordicTrack 1750 that I posted about earlier. My wife is making that decision so I don't have much of a say. I'm sure it will be a great machine. I don't do a whole lot of cardio so I'm sure my wife will be happy with the machine.

I've got some mats I can lay down that all hook together, I'll just be extra cautious about dropping my weights.

Okay, that makes sense, I will look at those as well and see what I can find.

Do you think I am going to run into issues if I buy all bumper plates? I'm just not sure if I need all of them to be bumper plates but I just like the look of them at the gym and think it would be great to have them in my home gym.

After doing a lot of research into treadmills I've decided to go with the NordicTrack 1750 - it's the best deal I could find. I am really excited about it, I also looked for a bunch of different coupons to see if I could get an extra discount. I tried a bunch of different coupons/promo codes but this coupon is the only one that actually worked. Extra few bucks off so I'm not too upset about that. Thanks for your tips!